"He usually talks a load of shite, but he's spot on here": Fans react to Jacques Villeneuve questioning Kimi Antonelli after Charles Leclerc crash

Jacques Villeneuve received mixed reactions from fans as he criticized Kimi Antonelli for his collision with Charles Leclerc during the 2025 F1 Dutch GP. The former driver claimed that the rookie might be a little unprepared to race in Formula 1.

Mercedes signed Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton this season. He was remarkable in the junior series, skipping Formula 3 and making his way to Formula 2, and was signed to F1 during his first season in the junior series. He showcased excellent form at first, but has been criticized more recently.

During the Dutch GP, Ferrari pitted Charles Leclerc, and he exited on fresh soft tires, being chased by Antonelli, who had a temperature advantage, having pitted a lap earlier. The Italian driver dived into the inside line of turn 3 at Zandvoort, and owing to the nature of the corner, he understeered and hit Leclerc, ending his race in a DNF.

Reacting to the incident, Jacques Villeneuve opined that Kimi Antonelli might not be prepared for Formula 1, considering his lack of experience.

"A move that you might see in Formula 4, Formula 3 from a driver who doesn’t have experience," he said.

Social media users seemed to be agreeing with his statement. Many felt like Antonelli is a bit too young to be racing in F1; moreover, having the pressure to replace Lewis Hamilton in the team.

"He usually talks aload of shite, but he's spot on here."

Don't Tread on Me 🇵🇹🇧🇷🇮🇱🇺🇦

@libertasquo

@wearetherace Too young, first season on a Mercedes replacing Hamilton. Too much pressure. He should have done another F2 season or a first F1 season in a Williams, like George did.

Dillan - Growth Marketer

@DillanWeb3

@wearetherace for once this man is right. you can see kimi does not think while he races and wants to do moves that are too ambitious for his race craft

At the same time, however, there were quite a few users who went against Villeneuve's opinion. They claimed that Antonelli proved himself earlier in the season with spotless performances, including his podium in Canada.

Brandon

@BrandoHD

@wearetherace This guy says things for attention and y'all just give it to him. Kimi had a podium 2 months ago, what were his comments then?

beb

@yesnice_

@wearetherace jacques is like the engagement baiter of the paddock I stg

The Formu1a

@The_Formu1a

@wearetherace Does this guy enjoy not having friends?

Charles Leclerc, whose race came to an early end because of the crash, was seemingly frustrated. He also pointed fingers towards Antonelli, mentioning that it's a little too "aggressive."

---

Charles Leclerc looks back at Dutch GP crash with Kimi Antonelli

Ferrari was far from being the fastest car during the Dutch GP earlier; however, the team's main focus is on finishing the championship in second place, which took quite a turn after a double DNF (Lewis Hamilton had crashed into T3 earlier owing to an understeer).

Charles Leclerc, who was seemingly the passenger in the incident, mentioned that the crash was Antonelli's fault. He stated that the overtake into turn 3 can be quite an aggressive one.

"It’s a mistake from Kimi," he said. "You've got to be very aggressive on a track like this to overtake…maybe it was a bit too much. He went on to touch my rear left and that was the end of my race. So it's disappointing."

Kimi Antonelli was given a 10-second penalty for the incident, which was followed up by another 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. He finished well out of the points, which preserved the second place in the standings for Ferrari. However, the team is narrowing the gap with every passing race.